If you do decide to download iOS 11.2.6 onto your device, you’ll want to set aside some quiet time to complete the download and installation. Making the transition from one version of iOS to another can cause problems so you’ll want to minimize potential distractions.

We can’t tell you exactly how long your iOS 11.2.6 will take because download times always vary from person-to-person, device-to-device. That said, we can help you approximate how much time to set aside if and when you decide to download the iOS 11.2.6 update onto your device.

If you’ve prepared for iOS 11.2.6 and you’re connected to a fast Wi-Fi network, moving to iOS 11.2.6 could take you less than seven minutes.

If you haven’t done any prep work, the process could take a whole lot longer.

Task

Time

Sync (Optional)

5-45 Minutes

Backup and Transfer (Optional)

1-30 Minutes

iOS 11.2.6 Download

1-10 Minutes

iOS 11.2.6 Update

5-10 Minutes

Total iOS 11.2.6 Update Time

6 Minutes to 1 Hour

Prepare for iOS 11.2.6

Before you start your iOS 11.2.6 download it’s important to prepare. A little prep work can go a long way toward preventing issues. And yes, there are already iOS 11.2.6 problems out there.

If you don’t know where to start you’re in luck because we’ve put together a guide that will take you step-by-step through the process we take before we install iOS updates on our devices. We used this very process before we installed iOS 11.2.6 on our iPhones and iPads.

Most of you will be able to complete these steps in a matter of minutes, but everything depends on your skill level and the state of your device.

If you’re moving up from Apple’s iOS 11.2.5 update, your iOS 11.2.6 update will only be a few megabytes and shouldn’t take more than a few seconds to download over a high speed Wi-Fi network. If your connection is slow, it will take longer.

If you’re coming from an older version of iOS, your iOS 11.2.6 download will be much larger, possibly several hundred megabytes or more, due to the updates you missed along the way. This will obviously increase the download time.

iOS 11.2.6 Installation Time

Once the download is complete, iOS 11.2.6 will start installing to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. This process will take longer than the download.

If you’re upgrading from the iOS 11.2.5 update, the iOS 11.2.6 installation could take anywhere from three to eight minutes to complete. It took about six minutes on our iPhone X.

If you’re coming from something older than iOS 11.2.5, your installation could take a lot longer. Those of you moving from iOS 10 to iOS 11 for the first time are looking at the longest installation time.

Your phone or tablet might reboot itself once or twice as the installation process starts finishing up so don’t be alarmed. This is normal.

Post-Installation

After the iOS 11.2.6 update finishes up, you might need to spend time setting up Apple Pay and/or logging into iCloud and your device’s various apps and services.

You’ll want to spend some time checking your important data (photos, music, etc) to ensure everything is still there. We also recommend testing your core apps and services to make sure they’re working normally.

Install iOS 11.2.6 for Better Security

If you're running iOS 11.2.5 or older, you're exposed to an issue that lets people send a specific character that will crash an iOS-powered device and block access to the Messages app. It can also block apps like Facebook Messenger, Gmail, Outlook, and WhatsApp.

If you're running iOS 11.2.2 or below and receive a certain GitHub link through your Messages app, your iPhone or iPad can lockup or respring. The Messages app will also become unusable.

If you're on iOS 11.2.1, your iOS 11.2.6 update includes security improvements to Safari and WebKit to mitigate the effects of Spectre. If you're running an older version of iOS, your iOS 11.2.6 update will come with a lot more.

The iOS 11.1 update delivered eight security patches including a fix for a serious Wi-Fi vulnerability called KRACK or Key Reinstallation Attack. KRACK is an exploit that targets the common WPA2 encryption protocol.

If you're just now making to move from iOS 10 (or whatever you're on) to iOS 11, your iOS 11.2.6 update will come with additional security features.